Escape From Myself
by S.P.D. Gold Ranger
Summary: When Nick finds out that Metal Sonic is after his friends, his quest for a lost jewel becomes a race to save everyone dear to him. But is it already too late?
1. The Problem

**NOTE: I've never done a T-rated story before, but I figured I should eventually. The rating is for language and some violence. This 3-part mini-story takes place in an AU during my current Sonic story "_Sonic CD 2: The Timestone Prophecy_" and was inspired by STTWebs' "Sonic the Swordsman" series on Hope you enjoy, and check back next week for part 2. (Before you ask, Nick and Haruka are my own characters.) This dives deeper into Nick's psyche, showing hidden emotions he never even knew he had. It shows just how much he cares for everyone dear to him, and shows how some people will stop at nothing, and even do the craziest things just to protect their friends from evil...**

I looked at the pathway I was racing on. It all seemed like a blur to me. I knew Metal Sonic was on his way to attack my friends with that freak saber he had...

Haruka...

Amy...

Sonic...

Tails...

...the metal monster was after everyone dear to me.

I kicked up the speed, my legs eventually blurring into a figure 8, signifying that I was running faster then I ever had in my life and then some, for good reason too.

All of my friends were at that party that Amy was hosting. That only worried me more. The more time I wasted thinking on it, the less time I'd have to save my friends. Metal Sonic had mysteriously acquired a mystical saber... the Ultima Saber, the legenmdary sword of destruction that Sonic told me about a few days before this all started. I'd encountered Metal Sonic at Eggman's base, only to find that the metal menace had killed the fat doctor. I'd barely escaped with my life, but not without discovering Metal's next objective.

I began running even faster, my legs spinning like never before. I had to get to the party...

...before it was too late.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

At the party, everyone there - my best friend Haruka, my new buddy Sonic and his buddy Miles "Tails" Prower, the Emerald guardian Knuckles the Echidna, Sonic's "love interest" Amy Rose, the young Cream the Rabbit, and even sexy treasure hunter Rouge the Bat - were having a good time and chatting the night away. What they didn't know was that a menacing metal monster was on its way to kill them.

"So, you've known Nick almost your whole life?" Tails asked Haruka.

"Met him when I was only a year old," the girl replied. "We've had a lot of adventures since then."

"Like what?" Rouge asked, now genuinely interested.

"Well, one time, two years ago, we'd been chased down the Kyoto wharf by a runaway whale, and I ran like I never have before! Track was nothing compared to _that_ run!" she said with excitement.

Unfortunately, that was when Metal Sonic decided to crash the party. This surprised Sonic, Haruka, and Amy the most.

"Metal Sonic!" everyone but Metal said in unison.

"Well, well, this is a nice reception," Metal said sarcastically. "Not even a nice word..."

"How... why did... Didn't Nick destroy you?" Haruka exclaimed.

"I was rebuilt by my ex-creator, and now I'm out for revenge on those who cast me aside. And I'll start with you!" Metal shouted, beginning to power up.

"Nick and Sonic have already stopped you once," Amy exclaimed, "and they can do it again!"

"Not this time," Metal stated before whipping out a glowing pink saber.

"Is...that...?" were Amy's last words. Metal struck with the saber...

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

I reached the entrance to Sonic's woods base, only to see it on fire. I could hear a series of slashing noises in the distance. With my heart beating really fast, I charged forward in a mad dash. _Oh, god, don't tell me I'm too late..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Knuckles and Rouge stood among the mangled bodies of the others, ready to avenge their fallen comrades. In a step of glory, they leaped and glided for Metal, only to be met with a lightning-fast slash from the saber.

They fell just like that, mortally wounded, just like the others.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

I rushed to the party hall, only to be met with a gruesome sight: my friends were bloodied, bruised, and seemingly at death's door. I saw Metal Sonic among the damage, standing over everyone who had been killed. Only Haruka remained, and she didn't look too well. "Metal... why do you do this?" Haruka said weakly, raising her hand and gesturing it to Metal. "I know you have a heart... if only you would listen to it..." "I have a heart, you're right," Metal said. "And it tells me to kill..."

With that, he plunged his saber straight into Haruka's chest. Time seemed to stop right there. I could only look on, too shocked to move. Time screeched to a start as Metal pulled the saber out, causing Haruka to drop to the floor, fatally wounded. I rushed over to her side. I knew she wasn't going to make it.

"Haruka! Please, Haruka, stay with me!" I shouted. "Nick...you know...what you have to do..." Haruka said, slowly fading with every second that passed. "I...I can't do this without you, Haruka-chan," I said, tears beginning to form in my eyes. "Nick...I...I love you..." she said to me. With that, she drew her last breath, her sapphire eyes closing for the last time. "No...Haruka-chan..." I said shakily. Then, something awakened inside me. It was fury.

Slowly, my sadness turned to anger. "You... you bastard," I said, turning to Metal. "How could you do this? How could you just mercilessly slaughter my friends without any regard for human life?"

"It was the way I was built," Metal simply stated, raising the saber for the final blow.

"Damn you..." was all I could say. As I waited for Metal to kill me, I heard someone say "Heads up!"

I turned to search for the voice, but was whisked away the next second. The saber struck where I'd just been seconds ago.

"It's time for you all to go to hell," Metal said, firing his eye lasers.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It took me a moment to register where exactly I was: a nicely-sized "island" to the south of the ruined tree house. I looked at the thing that saved me from Metal's wrath: Sonic the Hedgehog, the only surviving member of the party. I simply burst into tears over my fallen friends.

"Haruka...Amy...Rouge... he killed all of them..."

"Nick, I know it hurts, but we will avenge them," Sonic said, trying to comfort me.

"Does Metal even have a heart? Does he not care who dies in his quest to destroy us?" I screamed.

"We need time to prepare, otherwise, Metal _is_ going to kill us. We can't be caught off guard!" Sonic stated.

"I don't give a damn, Sonic. I need to teach Metal not to mess with my friends!"

"Calm down, Nick! We'll..." Sonic started.

"He...he's...not...HE'S NOT GONNA GET AWAY WITH THIS!" I screamed to the heavens, begging for a release. Said release came in the form of a golden flash of light that enveloped me and transformed me dramtically: my hair thickened, spiked up, and turned a Super Sonic gold; my normally down-to-earth blue eyes turned a sharp green, and my expression was one filled to the brim with anger and determination. "Whoa," was all Sonic could say.

"Metal's going to pay for this!" I shouted and took off in a flash of golden light.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Metal Sonic, BTW, was currently at what used to be Eggman's base, plotting his next move.

Eggman's Comface appeared on the side of the room, relaying information to Metal.

"How was the mission?" the Comface asked.

"It went very well," Metal responded. "I was able to kill all of Sonic's little friends. Maybe now he won't have the nerve to face me again."

"Maybe Sonic doesn't," I shouted from afar, "but I DO!"

"What?" Metal stated as I busted through the reinforced steel walls to face the one who slayed my friends.

"Well, well, if it isn't the boy who resists," Metal said with a tinge of sarcasm. Was that even in his programming?

"Enough of this crap, Metal! You're going to pay for killing my friends!"

"I'd like to see you try," Metal exclaimed as he pulled out the Ultima Saber and shifted into fighting stance.

I simply screamed and charged for Metal, knocking him back a few feet. I flew into the air and began to gather energy in my hands. When I had enough, I sent the energy flying for the mechanical monster in the form of a giant yellow sphere. Metal barely dodged it, using the saber to cut through the rest.

"Haven't you learned yet? YOU CAN'T WIN!" Metal shouted.

"I don't care. I'll find a way! I won't rest until I make you pay for what you've done!" I shouted, holding out my hands and powering up. I'd never felt such power before, not even during my fight against Eggman in Seaside City Zone! As I charged up, my spiky hair began to flash rapidly, my whole body was surrounded by a whirling energy aura, and the whole room began to shake and rumble.

"Wha...what is this power?" Metal said, fear starting to show in his voice.

"This power? This power is the manifestation of the feelings I have for my friends. This power is the true essence of love and justice! Something _you_ wouldn't understand!" I shouted, the energy aura getting even more fierce as I continued to charge power.

"I wouldn't say that," Metal said, drawing his saber. "I have feelings. But they're not the kind you're talking about."

"Then, how about I teach you?" I shouted, charging forward and turning into a pure streak of light and swirling around Metal, using my velocity to lift the metal monster into the air. When he was high enough, I fired a beam of energy that struck Metal and tore through his chest cavity. He fell to the ground, on the verge of shutdown. "Good," I said, turning to walk out of the lair. Suddenly, I felt a presence behind me. "Die," it said.

Given no time to react, I could feel Metal's saber plunge into my chest...

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Nick shot out of bed, drenched in sweat. He slowly turned his head, looking to see if everyone was all right. He looked over to the right - Amy was trying to scoot closer to a sleeping Sonic; Rouge was napping on the balcony; Knuckles had gone somewhere (where, I don't know), and Cream was sleeping peacefully near where Rouge was. He wiped some of the sweat off of his head. "Okay, Nick, note to self: _do not eat those spicy potato chips before taking a nap again_," he said to himself as she sat up, trying to shake the nightmare out of his head.

Haruka, who was sleeping right next to Nick, slowly woke up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Nick? Is everything okay?" she asked sleepily, opening her pure sapphire eyes.

"Haruka-chan! You're all right!" the boy said, throwing his arms around the girl. She looked a little surprised; he hadn't called her 'Haruka-chan' in a while. "Nick? Are you feeling all right?"

"Oh, Haruka... I just had a crazy nightmare... Metal Sonic was still alive, and he'd found this destructive saber and set out to kill everyone we held dear... he killed everyone, even you, and I was sure I'd be next..." Nick explained, beginning to cry.

"Hey, don't worry, Nick, the nightmare's over... and I don't think we have to worry about Metal Sonic. We destroyed that freak at Starlight Speedway."

Nick was still crying. _He's never shown this much emotion... not since his mom died when he was 7,_ Haruka thought. "Nick?" she said softly. "You wanna go for a walk?"

"Sure..."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Out in the woods, Nick and Haruka were walking around, talking about this and that.

"And that's that," Nick said, having finished relaying his nightmare to his best friend.

"...wow," Haruka said, putting her arm around Nick.

"You think it was a vision of what's to come?" Nick asked her.

"Maybe, but as long as we're on the case, it probably won't happen," Haruka said to her friend.

They walked in silence for a bit, until...

"Haruka-chan?"

"Yeah?"

Nick hugged his best friend and said, "Thanks for being such a good friend."

"Hey, no problem, huh? It's what I do," Haruka said with a smile. "And if Metal Sonic does come back, we'll be ready for him, right?" She leaned over and kissed Nick on the cheek. "If nothing else, you've got someone you love by your side. Okay?"

Nick blushed a bit, then gave his traditional thumbs-up.

"Got it."

With that, they headed back to camp hand-in-hand. When they were out of sight, a mysterious pair of glowing red eyes peeked out from a bush.

"Oh, my friends, it's only just begun..." said a slightly mechanical voice.

To Be Continued


	2. It Ends Tonight

Nick sat down on a nearby tree stump, still feeling a little shaken up from the nightmare he'd just had. Haruka followed suit, wondering why Nick would have such a nightmare.

"Nick, you've never had that kind of nightmare before... not since your mom died," Haruka said in wonder.

"I'd rather not bring _that_ up," Nick replied, starting to cry over the loss of his mother. When Nick was 5, he'd gone for a snack, only to see his mother murdered before his very eyes. He still couldn't remember who had done it; all he'd seen before the ambulances arrived was a mysterious red glow. No... it couldn't have been...

"I felt like I lost everything that day, Haruka... I don't want that to happen again," Nick said, on the verge of tears.

"It's okay, Nick, it's okay..." Haruka said, embracing her best friend and letting him get all the junk out of his system. _I've never seen him like this. That nightmare must have really shook him up,_ she thought.

Suddenly, Nick felt a sharp stab course through him. He shuddered at the thought.

"Nick? Is something wrong?" Haruka asked.

Nick slowly looked into Haruka's sapphire eyes and said, "Something's wrong at my house... I can sense it somehow. We need to go back to Earth."

"But how?"

Nick pulled out a gemstone - the cyan Chaos Emerald. "Sonic said that Chaos Control can be used for so many things - teleporting, attacks, even healing powers. I've never learned to use it, but now is as good a time to do so."

He clenched the Emerald tightly, focused, and shouted "_Chaos Control!_"

Within seconds, Nick and Haruka had vanished in a bright flash of light.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Back on Earth...

1414 North Watson Avenue, home of the Kelly family. Ambulances and police were swarming all over the place, for there had been a murder at the house.

"Barricade the area," one of the police officers said.

"Man, it doesn't look good," one of the doctors said while assessing the situation.

The next second, a bright flash of light followed by some flashy effects covered the immediate area just outside the police barricade. In a bright slash of energy, Nick and Haruka warped onto the scene via Chaos Control. Thankfully, no one noticed the flashes. Nick ran up to one of the officers, pocketing the Chaos Emerald.

"Sir, you'll need to step away from the premises," the officer said.

"Officer, this is my home! What in the hell is going on?" Nick shouted.

"You might not want to see this, but if you're concerned, I can't very well stop you," the officer said, clearing a way.

Nick and Haruka rushed inside, only to see the paramedics carrying out a dead body. Nick nearly fainted at the sight of the body: his own dad, brutally murdered in the same way Metal Sonic had murdered his friend in his dream.

"Oh...my...god," Nick and Haruka said in unison.

"Yeah," one of the paramedics carrying Nick's father said to the boy. "All Mr. Kelly said before he flatlined is 'a metal hedgehog'. I still don't know what he meant." As the paramedics walked away, Nick's eyes began shining. With that, he rushed into his room and slammed the door shut. Haruka quickly took note of something peculiar: only the master bedroom was damaged in any way; every other room in the house had been left untouched. She knocked a couple times on Nick's door. "Nick? Can I come in?"

She waited a few seconds, fixing up her shoulder-length brown hair, until Nick slowly opened the door, the sadness and anger evident in his usually soft brown eyes.

"Nick, I know it hurts, but we will avenge your family," she said softly.

"What's the point, Haruka? My family is dead, my life is ruined, and god knows _what_ Metal did to my brother?" he said, starting to burst into tears.

Haruka thought for a moment. _We've never had a problem like this since that fateful night 9 years ago. He went to me that night, and I comforted him as best I could. I've got to do the same here. Nick needs me more than ever now._

She slowly walked up to Nick, placing her hands on his shoulders and softly rubbing them. She slowly looked into Nick's soft brown eyes.

"Nick, can I ask you a question?"

Nick slowly looked up.

"9 years ago... the night your mom was killed. Who did you go to? Who did you seek comfort in?"

Nick began registering what Haruka was saying. As she spoke, memories were starting to come back to him... of that night...

"It wasn't your father. It wasn't Mrs. Thompson. It wasn't that girl who always seems to follow you at school. It was me. You came to me that night, seeking comfort over your loss, and I gave it to you. Why? Because you're my best friend, Nick. I'd do anything for you, and I mean _anything_. Same goes for this. You just need to believe in yourself. If you do that, you can do anything, including avenging your family," Haruka finished up.

Nick slowly looked back at his friend. "Thank you..."

Nick hugged Haruka back, saying "Thank you so much, Haruka. I never knew you cared so much..."

"It's what I do. You're my friend, and that's never going to change," she said.

"Haruka-chan..."

The girl leaned forward...

and her lips met his.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Nick could only have imagined that this was happening. But, after a few seconds, he found he liked it, so he kissed her back. While all this was transpiring, Nick began to undergo a dramatic transformation, similar to the one in his dream - his hair spiking up and turning bright yellow, his brown eyes turning sharp red, and his whole body being covered in a soft yellow glow. When they broke apart, Nick slowly opened his now ruby eyes. "Let's go kick some metal butt."

Haruka nodded as Nick brought out the Chaos Emerald. "_Chaos Control!_" And they were gone.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Back on Mobius, Nick and Haruka appeared in the woods base in a flash of Chaos Control, but everyone was gone.

"W-where is everybody?" Haruka asked.

"They're out on a walk," Sonic said, stepping out of the shadow.

"Hey, Sonic," Nick said, still in super form.

"Hey, like the new look," Sonic said matter-of-factly, referring to Nick's new look.

"Metal Sonic's back," Haruka said, turning serious.

"No way!" Sonic shouted, his legs turning into a figure eight.

"No, Sonic, this is my fight. Haruka and I went on a little 'soul search' during our away trip, and now I know we need to stop Metal Sonic before he does anything else," Nick said, his soft yellow hair beginning to flash a brilliant gold.

Suddenly, a scream haunted the early morning air. No stench of murder yet, though.

"That was Cream!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Come on, guys, let's go!" Nick said, and together, all 3 raced for the forest.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Amy backed up at the sight of Metal Sonic. The metallic hedgehog slowly advanced on the pink hedgehog girl. Behind her was Cream, who looked like she was about to faint. Knuckles and Rouge stood in a fighting stance right next to Tails, who was frantically searching for Sonic.

"Well, well, isn't this nice? Everyone in a place where I can do some killing," Metal said with a tinge of rage.

"I don't know how you survived, Metal, but once my Sonic comes, he'll stop you!" Amy shouted at the metal menace. Metal drew his saber, ready to strike.

"Sorry, but even 'your Sonic' is too late to stop me now," Metal said, about to deliver the finishing blow.

Suddenly, an invisible pulse wave blasted forward, knocking the Ultima Saber out of Metal Sonic's hands. The metal hedgehog slowly turned his head to see Nick (still in super form), Haruka, and Sonic standing before him.

"About time you people joined the party," Metal said, going for his saber, but Nick fired another pulse blast, knocking the saber far away.

"No tricks, Metal. No gadgets. Just you... and me," Nick said.

"You dare to challenge me?" Metal said, poised to charge.

"Oh, you bet I do!" Nick exclaimed, holding his hands out to the sky and powering up. As he did, a golden energy aura exploded around him, filling the whole area with a bright yellow light.

"So you've learned a few new tricks. That doesn't mean you can win," Metal said as he fired his eye lasers at the supercharged boy. But Nick simply batted them away.

"I mean it, Metal Sonic. I don't know who rebuilt you, but this charade is over!" Nick said, shifting into fighting stance. "For all the lives you've taken, for everyone dear to me..."

He closed his eyes. "For the memory of my beloved family..."

His eyes shot open, revealing two ruby orbs filled with determination.

"It ends tonight."

**To Be Continued...**


	3. Our Last Chance

**Disclaimer: I forgot to say this, but I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog or any official things in this story. Those people belong to Sega. However, my characters (i.e. Kurumi, Nick and Haruka, and their families) are owned by me. Just so you know.**

Nick, still in his super form, faced Eggman's deadliest creation in the eyes. He was determined to destroy Metal Sonic more than ever now. He could only think of his beloved family, who Metal had slaughtered one-by-one. He was determined to end this tonight.

"I don't know why you'd do these things, Metal Sonic, but I assure you, _it ends tonight_," Nick said to the metallic hedgehog in front of him.

"Oh, it will end tonight. But not for me," Metal simply stated. That said, both warriors charged for each other.

Sonic and his friends could only watch as the boy and the machine traded blow for blow at almost hypersonic speeds. Knuckles decided to step in and stop this fight, but Sonic stopped the echidna. "No, Knuckles. This is his fight," was all Sonic said.

Nick did a backflip over Metal Sonic and did a karate chop, surrounding his hands with pure Chaos Energy. He struck Metal in the back, knocking the metal hog back a few feet. It was then that Metal made a move for Tails.

Out of instinct, Nick drew the Chaos Emerald he had with him and shouted "_Chaos Control!_" Time screeched to a stop upon Nick's command. Metal Sonic slowly turned around to face the boy with the golden glow.

"You're not touching them, Metal! Your fight's with me!" Nick shouted.

Metal began glowing with a familiar jade light. "_Chaos Control!_" the metal being shouted. Time started up again, leaving Nick surprised.

"H-how did you do that?" Nick exclaimed.

"The one who rebuilt me infused me with Chaos Energy," Metal Sonic said before charging forward, surrounding his own hands with pure Chaos Energy. "Now witness my creator's true power! _Chaos Inferno!_" Metal shouted, slamming his hands onto the ground. The resulting tremor threw a shockwave for Nick, who barely dodged it. "I see you've learned a few new tricks," Nick said. "Well, so have I!" Nick charged forward and went into a spinout, surrounding himself with energy. His spinning form collided with Metal, knocking him back a few feet. Metal got back up and powered up, shouting "How DARE you attack me!"

"Someone has to stop you from killing any more innocent people, and that person... is me!" Nick shouted, powering up himself.

Both Nick and Metal Sonic charged forward. However, in a totally unexpected move, Metal dodged Nick and fired an energy beam that shot straight into Haruka's shoulder. She fell to her knees, holding her wound.

"Haruka!" Nick shouted, rushing over to Haruka. Taking advantage of the distraction, Metal appeared in front of Nick and kicked him into the sky. Metal began performing all sorts of attacks that threw the super-charged boy around like a rag doll. When Metal landed, Nick fell to the ground, bloodied and bruised from Metal's uncanny attacks. Metal landed in front of the boy, glowing a bright gold.

"Time to end this once and for all," Metal said, levitating into the air. "_Chaos Spear!_" With that, Metal summoned a storm of energy arrows and shot them all for Nick, who was beginning to lose his super form's yellow glow.

Unknown to the others, Haruka got up and rushed over to Nick.

By the time anyone could register what had just happened, it was too late.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Nick could only watch in fear as the energy arrows tore into the flesh of the girl he'd sworn to protect. Haruka tried in vain to protect herself, but she knew it wouldn't help. The arrows continuously pounded into her body until Metal called them off. She dropped to the grass, nearly at death's door. She weakly lifted her hand up and started speaking as Nick rushed to her side.

"Metal...why are you doing this?" Haruka said as best she could, her energy slowly fading away.

"Haruka! Please, don't speak. You need your energy," Nick said to her.

"No, Nick... I need to say this... Metal, if you'd look inside your soul...Eggman...he created you...to destroy Sonic and his friends...what will you do...when you've accomplished that? Your existence...won't have meaning anymore..." she slowly explained to the metal monster.

Metal stood still for a moment, as if contemplating Haruka's inquiry. "Hmm... your logic intrigues me. Maybe I _should_ have a talk with Eggman about that once I get back to the base," the metal menace said. Unknown to everyone, he was forming an energy arrow in his hand behind his back.

Haruka smiled weakly as Nick helped her up. "Come on, let's get back to Sonic's house. Maybe he knows how to help you," Nick said to her. Haruka steadied herself on Nick's shoulder for balance.

It was then that Metal decided to throw his final Chaos Spear.

It traveled so fast that no one saw it, or where it was moving, until it was too late.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

(Begin "Open Your Heart")

Haruka suddenly felt a sharp stab in her chest as the Chaos Spear tore through her. Her last thought was:

_I never told him..._

Then, she lost all feeling and fell to the ground, dead.

Nick had only just noticed the flash of light and quickly spun around, only to see his best friend on the ground, dead as a doornail.

"Haruka! No!" Nick shouted. Sonic began a Peel Out and charged for Metal, but the metallic hedgehog simply batted Sonic away.

_Thunder, rain and lightning..._

_Danger, water rising!_

_Clamour, sirens wailing!_

_It's such a bad sign!_

"Metal, how could you trick me like that?" Nick shouted.

"Did you really think I would fall for the old sympathy trick?" Metal stated as the Ultima Saber materialized in his hands. "Nothing doing."

With that, Metal struck Nick in the arm with the saber. Nick felt too weak from Metal's previous attack on him to be able to move in time. Suddenly, Nick felt his super form's power being sucked out of him bit by bit. When Metal withdrew the saber, Nick was back to normal.

_Shadows of dark creatures,_

_steel clouds flowing in the air,_

_people running for shelter._

_What's gonna happen to us?_

"And now, for the final piece of the barrier," Metal said while advancing on Nick. He slowly looked up at the face of Metal Sonic.

"Once you're out of the way, nothing will stop me from destroying Sonic," Metal said, raising his saber for the kill.

Nick knew he was helpless. He thought, _Haruka... I'm sorry..._

_All the steps we take, all the moves we make,_

_all the pain at stake..._

_I see the chaos for everyone,_

_Who are we? What can we do?_

"Die," Metal said, thrusting his saber down.

Nick closed his eyes, waiting for the fatal strike.

Suddenly, a girl shouted, "Stop right there!"

Before Metal could react, he recieved a fist to his face that sent him spiraling into a nearby rock, making him drop the saber.

_You and I are same in the way that we have our own styles and we won't change!_

_Yours is filled with evil, and mine's not, there is no way I can lose!_

Nick slowly opened his eyes to see who'd saved him from a fate worse than death. When he caught sight of her - a girl with long strawberry pink hair tied up in a few ponytails - he gasped.

"Kurumi!"

She smiled. "The one and only."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**(Note: Just so you know, this Kurumi isn't the version from ADV Films' anime _Steel Angel Kurumi_, even though she looks like it. I'm just using the name 'cause it's the only one I can think of.)**

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Metal slowly stood up, noticing that Kurumi's fist had left a rather large dent on his metallic forehead.

"Who DARES?" the metal hedgehog shouted as he turned to face his attacker.

_Can't hold on much longer, but I will never let go!_

_I know it's a one-way track! (Tell me now how long this will last!)_

_I'm not gonna think this way, nor will I count on others!_

_Close my eyes and feel the burn! (Now I see what I gotta do!)_

Metal charged for Kurumi, but was shocked to see her running very fast away from him. "You really think you can catch me, you metal freak? I was captain of the track team 3 years ago! I'm the fastest girl on Earth!"

"You are really beginning to annoy me, girl," Metal said. He activated his boosters and shot after the pink-haired girl. When he caught up, he began charging his eye lasers when all of a sudden, Kurumi did a backflip over Metal Sonic and grabbed his legs. She spun Metal around and threw him into the sky with incredible strength.

"I wasn't track captain for nothing, ya know," she said to herself.

_Open your heart, it's gonna be all right!_

Suddenly, Knuckles rushed up to Nick, holding seven tiny gemstones that Nick recognized immediately as the Super Emeralds.

"Here, use these. They should give you your super form back," the echidna told the boy. Nick nodded and slowly got to his feet. Kurumi took notice of a mysterious white glow that was beginning to intensify. She looked over to Nick to see him in mid-transformation. She smiled brightly. "Now that's the confident boy I became friends with."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_Ancient city blazing, shadows keep attacking!_

_Little children crying, confusion, hopeless anger!_

The Super Emeralds grew to their original sizes as they spun around Nick, encasing him in a bright silver sphere of energy. Nick began to feel incredible power rush through his very being as the Super Emeralds infused him with insane amounts of Chaos Energy. His hair took on its spiky, gelled shape, but instead of just sticking straight up like before, a large clump of back hair curved downard to form "spines" similar to those of Hyper Sonic. His front bangs curved outward, forming what looked like a 3. His spiky hair began flashing rainbow colors as the light from the Super Emeralds grew dim. Metal Sonic landed back on the ground to see Nick come out from the glowing energy orb. The metal hedgehog stepped back, quivering slightly upon getting a good look at the amazing power that stood before him.

_I don't know what it is, but you drive me crazy!_

_All your cunning tricks make me sick, 'cause you won't have it your own way!_

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Nick looked at Metal Sonic, a fire evident in the boy's eyes that no one had ever seen before. "This ends now, Metal Sonic!" he shouted in a deep voice. Everyone on the scene turned to see Nick in his incredible new form.

"Your days of terrorizing the people of Mobius are coming to an end tonight, Metal," Nick said as he got into stance. As Metal charged for Nick, the supercharged kid simply stepped away and struck Metal in the back, sending the metallic monster sprawling to the floor and dropping the saber.

_Can't hold on much longer, but I will never let go!_

_I know it's a one-way track! (Tell me now how long this will last!)_

_I'm not gonna think this way, nor will I count on others!_

_Close my eyes and feel the burn! (Now I see what I gotta do!)_

Nick raised his hand into the air, and took Metal Sonic with it. Energy began sparkling around his outstretched hand until it formed what appeared to be his own sword, one made of pure energy.

"Is that... the true form of the Ultima Saber?" Knuckles said in wonder as Nick brought the energy sword back.

"You're going to pay for everyone's lives that you've messed up, Metal!" Nick proclaimed, focusing on Metal.

"Especially my life! No one messes with my life and gets away with it!" Nick shouted, ready for the final strike.

"No! I can not be denied!" Metal shouted, trying in vain to escape Nick's inevitable attack.

"Well, guess what? You just were," Sonic said, laughing a bit.

_Open your heart, and you will see!_

Kurumi looked up, cheering her friend on. "Go get 'em, Nick!"

Nick looked at Metal, and gripped his blade tightly. _For you, Haruka..._

"CHAOS BLADE!" Nick shouted, swinging the energy sword around and tearing Metal Sonic right in half. As the metallic hedgehog began to explode, his last words were:

"Long live the Eggman Empire!"

Thus, Metal Sonic exploded in a flash of orange and yellow, his downfall illuminating the early morning sky. Everyone began cheering, celebrating a well won battle.

But at what cost?

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Nick, still in his powered-up form, walked up to the dead body of his best friend and looked over her. Tears began to shine in his eyes. "Man, even in death, she looks like an angel..."

Nick turned to the blue hedgehog behind him. "Sonic? Is there _anything_ I can do?"

Sonic smiled and tossed the boy a yellow Chaos Emerald. "Try this. It worked before, right?"

"Oh, yeah, now I remember! You're the one who told me what Chaos Emeralds can do," Nick nabbed the Emerald and held it out to Haruka. Almost instantly, the Emerald began shining brightly, completely healing all of Haruka's wounds brought on by Metal's Chaos Spear assault. No blood, no open skin, no nothing. Only her tattered clothes signified that a wouund ever existed.

_If it won't stop, there will be no future for us!_

_Its heart's tied down by all the hate, gotta set him free!_

Haruka slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Nick. "Hey."

Nick simply embraced her, not wanting to say anything. Haruka hugged him back, knowing exactly what just happened.

Haruka then noticed Nick in his new form. "Hey, like the new look."

"I have Knuckles to thank for that," Nick said, pointing to Knuckles. The echidna smiled.

"And if it wasn't for her," Nick said, pointing to Kurumi, "I probably wouldn't be here right now."

Haruka was surprised a little. "So THAT'S where you went, huh?"

_I know it's a one way track! (Tell me now how long this will last!)_

_Close my eyes and feel the burn! (Now I see what I gotta do!)_

Kurumi smiled. "Had to travel the world a bit, you know. I'm not exactly sure how I came across this place. But when I heard Nick in the distance, I just came running."

"That was pretty impressive," Sonic said, walking up to everyone involved.

"Hey, we had to do what he had to do," Nick said, releasing the massive amounts of Chaos Energy inside of him and returning it to the Super Emeralds. He instantly reverted to normal.

_Gotta open your heart, dude!_

"Wait... if Metal Sonic survived, maybe Eggman did," Haruka pondered.

"That isn't a surprise. Look," Nick said, pointing over to a nearby bush.

Everyone turned to look at the bush in question. A Badnik was poking out of it, relaying the battle to Eggman.

"Where do you think Eggman's base is?" Kurumi asked.

"I think I have a pretty good idea," Nick said, using Chaos Control to teleport him, Haruka, Sonic, and Kurumi to Eggman's base.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Eggman, BTW, was pretty pissed off when he'd found out that his greatest creation had been destroyed for the 3rd time. Nick and friends teleported in, unknown to his Eggness.

_Can't hold on much longer, but I will never let go!_

_I know it's a one-way track! (Tell me now how long this will last!)_

_I'm not gonna think this way, nor will I count on others!_

_Close my eyes and feel the burn! (Now I see what I gotta do!)_

"No matter," the doctor said. "Comface! What is the progress of my newest creation?"

The Comface appeared and said, "Mk II Project Alpha 95 complete, will probably be fully operational by the end of the day."

"Good. With this, I will be able to do what Metal Sonic failed to do," Eggman said, until that very second, an energy beam shot forward, richocheting all around the lab until it struck a mysterious stasis tube, blowing it into pieces.

Nick, once again in his super form, tapped Eggman on the shoulder. The doctor slowly turned around to come face-to-face with Nick and Super Sonic. "Ahem. You were saying?" Nick said with a grin.

_Open your heart, it's gonna be all right!_

With that, everyone in question gave chase after the fat doc.

_Open your heart!_

And so, the journey ends. Or does it?

_Open your heart!_

Back in the lab, near the destroyed stasis tube, a mechanical stirring can be heard. A pair of blood-red eyes open under the shadow of the night.

"It...has...begun..."

_Yeah, yeah..._

**The End... for now...**

**Author's Note: And that's the story, peeps! I'm planning to do a sequel soon. I'm starting to get a lot better at this. Until next,**

**Yours truly,**

**S.P.D. Gold Ranger**


End file.
